Green Sunfish "Mood Swings"

[divemaster99]

For the past week or so my green sunfish has been going through a phase where one moment she's up at the front up the glass begging for food and I come back a few minutes later and she's hiding absolutely motionless under her piece of driftwood. I don't know why she's doing this and whether or not I should be concerned. She's about 4" and has tankmates of 3 creek chubs (5-6") and 1 white sucker (7") in a 30 long (36"x12"x16").

Water params:
Temp- 69F
pH- 7.6
Ammonia- 0ppm
Nitrite- 0ppm
Nitrate- 20ppm
Light: 2:45PM-8:45PM
WCs: 33% weekly (thinking I'll bump that up to twice a week)

Any ideas?

 

[fwprawn]

Sounds like she's getting ready for winter - assuming she's wild.

 

[divemaster99]

Sounds like she's getting ready for winter - assuming she's wild.

I caught her in a local creek back in the beginning of May. Since this is her first year in captivity and the temp has gone from 76 in the summer down to 69 now that's a pretty good guess to me. Anything else I should expect her to do if that's the case?

 

[Montelboom]

I noticed my big male green sunfish doing this too off and on. One minute he's front and center begging then the next somehow invisible to me for a while especially after 8pm.

Sent from my SCH-R830C

 

[divemaster99]

I noticed my big male green sunfish doing this too off and on. One minute he's front and center begging then the next somehow invisible to me for a while especially after 8pm.

Sent from my SCH-R830C

Just lately or since you got him? I have a feeling that most sunfish probably react like this with falling temperatures.

 

[Montelboom]

Just lately and i've had him for almost a year or so now

Sent from my SCH-R830C

 

[predatorkeeper87]

my pumpkinseed has been doing the same thing lately. I got him mid summer and he ruled the tank in the first week and begged for food. Now he'll beg occasionally and hide in a rock cave in the back of the tank too. My bluegill who is slightly smaller now runs the show haha shes always front and center when before she had to hide from the pseed.